


a bump in the road

by whosbrian



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Basketball coach Chan, Basketball player Jeongin, Comfort, Gen, High School, Injury, Light Angst, Relatively vague description of ankle sprain, let's all pretend that jeongin is a 00 liner so this makes more sense thanks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29276934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whosbrian/pseuds/whosbrian
Summary: Jeongin learns the hard way what it means to be a true captain.
Relationships: Bang Chan & Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	a bump in the road

**Author's Note:**

> hi!
> 
> this was meant to be a tiny drabble for [agibbang fest's](https://twitter.com/AGIBBANGFEST) birthday event for jeongin but somehow turned into a 1,4k words fic. still blows my mind but i like this new quick brain energy
> 
> this is inspired by the moodboard for [day 5: college daze](https://twitter.com/AGIBBANGFEST/status/1357742720501108737)
> 
> unlike usual this is not betaed so if you see sentences that don't look like proper english just kindly look away thank you
> 
> hope you guys enjoy!

The sound of shoes squeaking on the gym floor and balls dribbling from player to player, usually music to Jeongin's ears, feel invasive and incredibly loud this evening. From his seat on the bench, he watches his teammates go through their warm up drills with radiant smiles on their faces, the classic pre tournament frenzy enveloping all fourteen of them. Jeongin itches to join them, feels the need to be on the court and run with them seething deep in his bones, but the constant throbbing in his left ankle convinces him to stay put and ruminate alone.

He's so fucking pissed, and it's unbearable because the only person he can be pissed at is himself.

He lives fairly close to his high school, so his parents declared on his very first day that they would not be paying for a bus pass when he had a perfectly usable bike sitting in their shed. He's been biking to and back from school since he was twelve, and though he hated it with a passion for the first few months, he found that it was actually quite useful for a basketball player. The cardio he built in those years of biking were definitely paying off now. Or, they _had_ been paying off until yesterday morning.

Jeongin was running late. Like, _late_ late. It was a Wednesday, which was arguably the absolute worst day to be late to class, because he had History first thing in the morning and Mrs Kim did not tolerate _any_ delays from her students. If he didn't hurry the fuck up, he would end up with a week's worth of detention at best, and he had better things to do than write lines for a grumpy old woman.

He rushed through getting dressed and ditched breakfast, throwing his books haphazardly in his bag before taking off on his bike with barely ten minutes to the first bell. He was fucked.

So fucked, it seemed, that when he took the last turn before entering the school parking lot, he almost collided with a random pedestrian, who was walking idly with their eyes fixed on their phone. Jeongin swerved, avoiding them with a shriek. He lost balance and tried to stop his spiralling by planting his left foot on the ground, but his bike kept twisting and he fell over. His right shoulder hit the ground first, but his left foot didn't turn with the rest of his body, and he heard the pop of his ankle more than he felt it at first. He flipped onto his back and looked up at the sky above him for half a second, panting, and then the pain hit him.

A blinding, white hot pain that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere in particular all at once, consuming his ankle and his mind. He's pretty sure he screamed and writhed on the sidewalk, but his memory gets a little foggy from there. He doesn’t know how much time he spent just lying there, feeling like his ankle and his brain were on fire. The next thing Jeongin remembers clearly is being carried into a car by his assistant coach Chan (he still has no clue how the man ended up there), setting him up in the backseat with his bag under his ankle to keep it elevated, and driving him to the hospital in a hurry.

The doctor declared that it was simply a sprain, but that he must use crutches for two weeks and not put too much weight on his ankle for at least another two weeks (if not three, depending on how well he was healing). There’s no way he’s playing basketball anytime soon. Right when the finals are around the corner and his team needs him the most.

Fucking great.

So there he is, a day later, on the edge of the court with his annoying-ass crutches on the floor in front of the bench, arms crossed on his chest and eyeing his teammates with envy. He's been preparing all season for these next few weeks of qualification games, and because of his carelessness he won't be part of it.

He doesn't look when a weight settles on the bench beside him. He knows it's Chan again; he's been babying Jeongin since he brought him to school from the hospital, texting him every other hour to ask him how he's doing. Jeongin wishes he could appreciate the thoughtfulness, he really does, but right now it just feels like Chan is pointing out his injury over and over again, reminding him that he can't play. It stings, no matter how much love is behind the gesture.

Jeongin readjusts his seating position and winces when it makes his ankle move. The black ankle brace is nagging him, starking against his pale sweats. Chan nudges his shoulder lightly. "How are you feeling?" he asks, and though Jeongin can clearly hear the concern and care in his voice, he can't help the snappy tone of his answer.

"It might surprise you, but I feel like shit."

He hears Chan laugh beside him. "Sorry. Stupid question."

"Shouldn't you be helping the others with the warm ups?" Jeongin says, hoping it'll get Chan moving. He'd really rather be alone right now.

"Coach Nam is doing ok by himself for now. I wanted to check on you first."

"Well," Jeongin snaps, "you did. You can go now. I'm fine on my own."

"I don't believe that for a second. You do remember that I've been in your place before, right? I know how it is to be benched against your will."

Jeongin sighs and finally glances at Chan. His signature dimpled smile is a little sad, and it makes Jeongin feel a tiny bit guilty for being so rude. Only a tiny bit.

He does remember what Chan is talking about. During Jeongin's very first season on the team, when Chan was still his captain, the older broke his arm two weeks before their most important game of the year. Everyone was crushed: Chan was their pillar, their light, and playing without him would not only be a lot harder, but wouldn't feel _right_. But that didn't phase Chan. He came to all their practices, gave feedback to his teammates during drills and was their most enthusiastic cheerleader during games. They ended up taking the league that year, and even though Jeongin could see the hint of sadness in Chan's eyes when he held the trophy he hadn't played for, he was still radiating with pride and didn’t stop smiling all evening.

"I do remember," Jeongin mumbles. "It doesn't change the fact that I'll be missing the qualifications on the first year I'm captain."

"My point exactly." Jeongin turns to face Chan at the words.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're captain now, right?" Jeongin nods, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You gotta be there for the boys even though you can't play with them. Even though it hurts like hell watching them from the sidelines. That's what a captain does."

Realization washes over Jeongin like a cold shower. Chan is right: he's been so focused on himself that he barely stopped to think about what his injury meant for his teammates. Now he feels mad _and_ guilty. Damnit.

"I'm not saying it doesn't suck," Chan adds, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "because it really fucking does. But as a captain you gotta think about other people, you know? You know how much our attitude and behavior affects them. We gotta put them first."

Jeongin turns his eyes back to the court. He actually sees it now: Felix’s steps aren’t as light and bouncy as usual, Jisung isn’t teasing Hyunjin as enthusiastically as before, and Seungmin is exchanging strange looks with Jongho as they practice passes. He hadn’t noticed how on edge his attitude made them.

He takes a deep, steadying breath, and exhales in a huff. He can do this. He can be there for his team. He can lead them to victory, even from the sidelines.

He gives Chan a small smile. “Thanks, hyung.”

Chan smiles back at him, a little wider now. “Don’t mention it. Now come on. Let’s start this practice for good.”

Jeongin grabs his crutches and waddles alongside Chan to the center of the court. Coach Nam’s shoulders sag lightly in relief when he sees them walk over. “Glad to see you on your feet, Jeongin,” he says. “The guys need you.”

“I know. I’m here.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always thank you soso much for reading! happy jeongin day!
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/leeminhoelic)


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